How to Love

I. Fallen Hero

            Hermione haven’t seen the sky darker than that night. The stars were gone and she couldn’t help but think that they were hiding from the war that was happening. She almost felt envy. The brightest witch may have been brave but seeing the war by her own eyes, her heart was crushed. She looked to her side and saw Harry’s face filled with terror and regret, same went for Ron’s. Hermione looked away and wiped her face with her hands, she needed to be strong.

            The Golden Trio was walking along the crumbling Hogwarts. The place where they felt safe was then the picture of a warzone; the picture of tragedy. Fallen debris was resting everywhere. The air was cold and from where they stood, realization dawned at them. It happened. The war has happened and it will continue whether Harry sacrifice himself or not.

            "Where are they?" Harry asked with his raw voice. 

            None of them answered for they all knew where they were and they knew what was coming. It was evident on their faces that they were hoping to see everyone alive and well but somehow, the last ray of hope in their hearts was dim.

            The three walked silently through the fallen hallways. The halls were quiet and the only thing Hermione heard was her own heartbeat. She knew very well from the battle she witnessed that there will be casualties that were never going to be restored again.

            They stopped in front the closed doors of the Great Hall. Faint sounds were coming from the room. Hermione closed her eyes and tried composing herself but it was useless. She felt her heart breaking into little pieces.

            Harry held her hand, “We’re going together.”

            Hermione nodded and immediately, she started to calm down. Her friends understood her because they’ve seen what she saw. They knew what she felt because Hogwarts was their home and everyone that fought with them was their families.

            Ron was the one who opened the doors slowly. Hermione breathed out and what they saw was worse than what they were expecting. There were cries, mumbles and sobs everywhere. Dead people were lined up along the floor. The professors were helping the injured students. Some of them were even trying to comfort students but none were working. Hermione glanced at Harry and she knew from the look of his eyes that he was blaming himself.

            Hermione was fixated on her spot when she saw Remus’ and Tonk’s bodies aligned with the dead people on the cold floor. Her heart sunk as tears formed in her eyes. She tried to stop looking at the dead people around her but she can’t help but to scan for more familiar faces. She needed reassurance but what she got was far from that.

            All of them knew what was coming but it was hard to accept. She wanted to shout, she wanted to kill everyone that caused her friends’ death. Hermione couldn’t stop thinking that everyone who died was then only part of a tragic history. They were all heroes that would be written in history textbooks and other people would read about them.

            Hermione whirled away from Colin’s dead body and started walking around. The room was heavy with sorrow that she was feeling suffocated. She stopped walking when she saw a familiar flock of red hair. She stared at the Weasley family who were huddled in one part of the room. Hermione almost let out a cry of joy but something was off.

            She didn’t dare made a move; the Gryffindor was not ready to see yet another face of a love one. Her blood ran cold as she gripped her wand and prayed to everyone in the heavens to not let him die.

            “Are you ready?” he said in an almost excited voice.

            She smiled and ran her hand along his slender face, “How can you be so excited for a war?”